Week 3 was highlighted by an incredible SAC battle between the Northrop Bruins and North Side Legends. The Bruins were able to prevail with a 25-16 victory at Spuller. As we approach Week 4, there aren’t a ton of marquee matchups in the SAC, NE8, NECC, and ACAC, but there are a few games to highlight that have the potential to be the talk of the town this week.

SAC Spotlight: Bishop Dwenger vs. Carroll

2-1 Bishop Dwenger Saints heads to Huntertown, Indiana to face the 1-2 Carroll Chargers. The Saints’ defense is amongst one of the most elite in the conference and have only allowed 18 points in three games this season. After dropping their first game 3-0 to Indianapolis Roncali Royals, the Saints have won back-to-back games against St. Francis De Sales (Ohio) and Wayne. Linebacker Douglas Henry and defensive lineman KC Pieper have been incredible for the Saints — both have provided 33 tackles. Pieper has also added two sacks. Junior safety Carter Zent leads the team with two interceptions as well.

A young Carroll team has struggled early this season. They’re led by senior receiver Jaidon Vanpelt and junior Eli Neuhouser (33 tackles). Vanpelt was a candidate for the Indiana Preps Week 2 Player of the Week with his solid performance against Center Grove. Although the Chargers haven’t started as hot as they usually do, Dwenger head coach Jason Garrett knows this won’t be an easy victory.

“Another quality opponent that offers great challengers in all three facets. We must win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, limit explosive players from their offense, be efficient and execute at a high level on offense,” coach Garrett said. Last season, Carroll beat Dwenger 31-3, but this week should be much more competitive.

Predictions

Dwenger over Carroll 17-7.

Northrop over Homestead 30-7.

North Side over Concordia 41-0.

Luers over South Side 14-7.

Snider over Wayne 21-0.

NE8 Spotlight: East Noble vs. DeKalb

Currently, the NE8 has three undefeated teams at 3-0 and one team that is 2-1. The East Noble Knights are undefeated and have outscored their opponents 110-7. Yes, they’ve only allowed 7 points total in three weeks. This week, they head to Waterloo, Indiana to face a 2-1 DeKalb Barons team that can also score the football.

I was able to catch up East Noble’s head coach Alex Stewart to talk about a few things. To start off I had to ask for his thoughts on his defense’s performance to start the season. “Our defense has played really well. The guys are flying around. We’ve caused a lot of turnovers, but overall I just feel like think we’re playing good team defense,” coach Stewart replied.

“We’re just focusing on some things that we need to work on. Execution is a big thing. Making sure we’re playing our game and playing our game at a high level. We gotta stay focused. DeKalb is a well-coached team. They got a couple guys from our staff that have gone over there. They have some great athletes at their skill positions. They run a 3-4 defense and play fast with the football. So we just have to be ready for what they do,” coach Stewart added.

Predictions

East Noble over DeKalb 41-3.

Columbia City over Huntington North 35-17.

Norwell over Bellmont 48-0.

Leo over New Haven 38-10.

ACAC Spotlight: Heritage vs. South Adams

Undefeated (3-0) Heritage Patriots head to Bern, Indiana to face the 1-2 South Adams Starfires. The Starfires are still fuming coming off their 44-41 loss to Bluffton last week that went down to the wire and will look to successfully defend home turf. The Patriots are undefeated (beat Bellmont, Delta in OT, and Woodlan) but have their first real test of the season with South Adams. Heritage’s defense has only allowed 28 points this season and has been led by junior linebacker Brady Boyle (leads team with 20 tackles) and defensive back Lucas Weber (18 tackles). Patriots sophomore quarterback Zeb Tigulis has completed 30 of his 39 passing attempts for 366 passing yards, 3 touchdowns and a QBR of 120.2. I was able to speak with Heritage head coach Jeremy Hullinger about this upcoming game against South Adams.

“South Adams is a great challenge for us. They have outstanding skill and a QB (Lehman) that can make every throw. Coach Moser is an awesome playcaller and we have to be sound in our defensive alignment or he’ll exploit any weakness. We must tackle well and not give up extra yards after the catch. Bloc to the whistle and win the turnover battle,” Coach Hullinger said.

South Adams senior quarterback and two-sport star Tytus Lehman has thrown for 561 yards to go with 8 touchdowns and two interceptions. If he gets comfortable and finds his targets Derek McKean and Wesley Summersett, it could be a long night for the Patriots. Coach Moser spoke to us and spoke very highly of their opponent coming up this Friday.

“They are a 3A team that is getting votes to be a top 10 team in the state. They are big, fast, physical, and fundamental. They are really well-coached and don’t make many mistakes. We have to win the turnover battle to have a chance,” coach Moser said.

Predictions

Adams Central over Jay County 35-14.

Bluffton over Woodlan 41-7.

South Adams over Heritage 21-17.

Wes-Del over Southern Wells 48-0.

NECC Spotlight: Angola vs. West Noble

The Angola Hornets and West Noble Chargers going into this week with a 2-1 record and look to gain control of the NECC. Chargers head coach Monte Mawhorter has another high-scoring offense that has a lot of speed. Sophomore running back Brogan Parks and senior quarterback Trey Shisler (495 passing yards, 6 touchdowns) will be primary focus for Angola’s defense that has been pretty solid to start the season (27 points allowed). “West Noble is an outstanding team. They have a lot of speed. We need to take care of the ball and play a physical football game,” Angola head coach Andy Thomas told us.

Predictions

West Noble over Angola 28-14.

Eastside over Churubusco 21-10.

Fairfield over Culvery Academy 35-28.

Garrett over Lakeland 30-24.

Osceola over Fremont 38-31.

Prairie Heights over Central Noble 24-17.